If we are going to truly come to terms with abiding by moral codes against extreme acts of violence, we first have to start in our own living rooms... We say we "don't f**#$ torture," yet Grand Theft Auto is our favorite video game.

Let's face it: Americans are repeatedly exposed to serious scenes of violence when we go out to the movies, watch nightly TV shows, or unwind with video games, all of which drastically decrease overall sensitivity to violence.

To be fair, Henley’s views on the supposed desensitizing effects of violent entertainment appear to come primarily from the claims of longtime video game critic Dave Grossman. After spending a few paragraphs on violent TV and movies, Henley returns to video games:

What about these modern X-Box and online video games? While I happen to enjoy the "G" rated Wii, over 11 million people are spending their time engrossed in the World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto where the point is to go around and kill people in a calculated way. Tell me again why this is supposed to be fun and relaxing?

It's time to put torture in its place as unacceptable, period, both in our nation's military practices, and in our nation's entertainment standards.

Liberal commentators have described Islamic extremists as "freedom fighters" and noted that scrificing their lives (in the case of 9-11 and other suicide attacks) is a form of bravery. Oh, and don't forget the claims that these extremists are not responsible for their actions because of US foreign policy, capitalist oppression, Zionism/Israel, etc.

Such things are hardly a denouncement of these people. Feel free to keep kidding yourself.

You're considering the comments of some liberal extremists... about Muslim extremists... to be representative of all liberals? You're either a troublemaker or a fool. Possibly both?

Anyone who takes the word of a pundit at face value clearly has trouble separating fantasy from reality. Perhaps you're one of these fabled individuals who's succumbed to media "mind control"? Better steer clear of the violent video games and gangsta rap for a while, just in case.

Yeah lady, I'm sure George Bush and all the neo-cons got the idea to torture prisoners from playing Grand Theft Auto and other violent video games. It's just like when FDR played the board game Monopoly and got the idea to send Japanese Americans to jail errr...internment camps. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Historians now think that Andrew Jackson's failed attempts at trying to play Lacrosse eventually lead him to sign the Indian Removal Act.

The Huffington post seems more and more like a liberal Little Green Footballs (and even LGF is backing away from his radicalism).

This writer seems to just be out to get publicity. I wonder how Huffington Post columnists get paid? Is it by the number of unique visitors? Her twitter account has a post bragging about the number of comments she got on her Easter column which makes me really suspect her sincerity. http://twitter.com/karihenley

Wow! She's right! I never really thought about it until reading this article. We really need the government to control the sale of these games that allow us to find torture acceptable. I'd better go throw out my TV's, radio's, computers, video games, and live in a shack in the middle of nowhere...

[/sarcasm]

Sortableturnip's Law: As an online discussion of video game violence grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Jack Thompson approaches 1

Her post would be legitimate if not for the extra mile she goes with "all of which drastically decrease overall sensitivity to violence" and "It's time to put torture in its place as unacceptable, period, both in our nation's military practices, and in our nation's entertainment standards."

First of all, if she advocates for censorship of video games, she makes two great enemies: The people against censorship (ACLU, NCAC, etc.) and gamers, and gamers are a vicious enemy to make, in case Fox's Mass Effect smear and subsequent shitstorm didn't clue her in.

Second, Grand Theft Auto is NOT our favorite game, GTA IV sacrificed fun for realism, and actually took out the fun of driving on the side of the road with the "fly face first out the window every time you hit anything that isn't a streetlight made of pudding" mechanic. Thus, games that don't ruin the fun with realism, such as Saint's Row 2, are "our favorite game".

Third, fantasy violence does NOT "decrease overall sensitivity to violence." The reason that some people don't care about torture is because our nation is well known for it's apathy; why do you think we have an obesity problem? Wii Fit?

Fourth, if you don't like the games or their violence, DON'T PLAY THEM. Play Flower, or FlOw, or Lumines, or Exit; you have many options that are nonviolent yet fun in every way. Don't try to tell other people what they can and cannot do, you snooty bitch.

Fifth, anyone who hyphenates "Xbox" is a self-righteous prick.

Sixth, to answer the question posed by GP at the top, no. It does not. It comes mainly from southern conservatives that don't want any more egg on their face than they already have.

Seventh, grasping at straws for virtual violence to censor instead of focusing on the REAL WORLD TORTURE is so abominable, I can't even begin to express my disgust.

I'm just saying that because when ever GTA comes up, someone has to say it sucks in some objective broad fashion. No it doesn't suck, you just don't like it, and the same goes for everyone who thinks everyone likes GTA4. Like the Godfather is a phenominal movie, GTA 4 is a phenominal game. Is it for everyone? No. Is that okay? Yes.

The whole point of the series, up until Niko Bellic was being a anti-anti-hero and crying over his kills and carting his stupidass cousin to strip clubs, was that it was fun to engage in acts that you wouldn't be able to do in real life.

It sacrificed that at the brown altar of realism, consequently unbalancing the game with a cover mechanic as unbalanced as the one in Everything or Nothing, making vehicular homicide not fun anymore with the "I believe I can fly out the windooooow" mechanic, making the vehicles control realistically, i.e. like go-carts full of lead, and having a storyline as original as a Sonic game.

I thought I liked GTA 4, until I played Saint's Row 2; then I realized that GTA 4 made the game realistic at the expense of the player's experience.

And GTA IV does not compare AT ALL to the Godfather, the Godfather was groundbreaking, whereas GTA IV is derivitive, recycling everything the series has done while shitting on the things it did well.

This one pisses me off just thinking about it. If you slit my throat right now you'd get shot in the eye with boiling blood. Any time you say something sucks around someone who disagrees, they try to validate their taste in shitty music/movies/clothing by reminding you that you still only speak for yourself, as if their opinions are in jeopardy of being monopolized by your own. Everyone already knows it's my opinion by virtue of the fact that I said it, no need to restate the obvious you dopey twat.

Southern conservatives, such as they are, are against censorship. Now, christian conservatives are a different story. But my ol' Senator over here (republican) votes with most of the -real- conservative idea of keeping the government out of our business.

The people who write these articles have obviously never played a game in their life, it's sad to see them for such strong opinions. When did ignorance become a point of view?

Real concervatism died a horrible death when Regan was elected. The movement was taken over by social concervatives decades ago and outside a little lipservice (when they are loosing) there is very, very little empasis on actually keeping the government out of people's live's. Most of the old school concervative movement has moved to libitarian.

"What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

If Kari "Brain-Dead" Henley were any smarter, she'd be a complete idiot.

Not to mention the Guiness World Record winner, HOD: Overkill! More swearing than any other game in history!

I shouldn't have mention how little this lady knows about cybernatography. I just hate it how even anti-gamers use the Wii, the "kiddie console," as a represenative for what they think games should be.

And "torture in our military practices?" Obviously, another serious lack of research. More codes of conduct are enforced than ever before in battle tactics. That's why we're getting our butts whooped out there. And Guantanamo Bay isn't a prison. It's a hotel for terrorists. Our POWs are treated bettter than the guards themselves.

I think most people working in military intelligence have found out that torture is a last-resort method that is still not very effective to use. This isn't some drama-action like 24 we're living in...methods of torture can go on for months.

Favorite just means it sells best. What part of the market is not reached with GTA and is reached with other games instead? For all you know, 60% of the market doesn't care about GTA. But hey, proper research requires intellect.

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ZippyDSMlee: .....win8 hates any left over hidden install partitions from other version of windows....only waste 5 hours finding that out...its ahrder than you think keeping up with 4 or 5 HDDS......03/03/2015 - 4:44am

Matthew Wilson: I am going to pax east, any games you guys want me to check out?03/02/2015 - 11:23pm

ZippyDSMlee: No one remembers the days of Cinemagic and Cynergy eh? :P, meh even MGS is getting to film like....03/02/2015 - 8:44pm

MechaTama31: I was about to get all defensive about liking Metal Gear Solid, but then I saw that he was talking about "cinematic" as a euphemism for "crappy framerate".03/02/2015 - 8:29pm

prh99: Just replace cinematic with the appropriate synonym for poo and you'll have gist of any press release.03/02/2015 - 5:34pm

Monte: Though from a business side, i would agree with the article. While it would be smarter for developers to slow down, you can't expect EA, Activision or ubisoft to do something like that. Nintnedo's gotta get the third party back.02/28/2015 - 4:36pm

Monte: Though it does also help that nintendo's more colorful style is a lot less reliant on graphics than more realistic games. Wind Waker is over 10 years old and still looks good for its age.02/28/2015 - 4:33pm

Monte: With the Wii, nintnedo had the right idea. Hold back on shiny graphics and focus on the gameplay experience. Unfortunatly everyone else keeps pushing for newer graphics and it matters less and less each generation. I can barely notice the difference02/28/2015 - 4:29pm

Monte: ON third party developers; i kinda think they should slow down to nintendo's pace. They bemoan the rising costs of AAA gaming, but then constantly push for the best graphics which is makes up a lot of those costs. Be easier to afford if they held back02/28/2015 - 4:27pm

Matthew Wilson: http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/02/28/the-world-is-nintendos-if-only-theyd-take-it/ I think this is a interesting op-ed, but yeah it kind of is stating the obvious.02/28/2015 - 2:52pm